JULY
20
PSALMS: 20,
50, 80, 110, 140
PROVERBS: 20
OLD TESTAMENT: JEREMIAH 12:1 - 14:10
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 THESSALONIANS 1:1 - 2:8
PSALMS: 20
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress;
may
the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2
May he send you help from the sanctuary
and
grant you support from Zion.
3
May he remember all your sacrifices
and
accept your burnt offerings.
Selah
4
May he give you the desire of your heart
and
make all your plans succeed.
5
We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and
will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May
the LORD grant all your requests.
6
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he
answers him from his holy heaven
with
the saving power of his right hand.
7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but
we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
8
They are brought to their knees and fall,
but
we rise up and stand firm.
9
O LORD, save the king!
Answer
A us when we call! [1]
PSALMS: 50
A
psalm of Asaph.
1
The Mighty One, God, the LORD,
speaks
and summons the earth
from
the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.
2
From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God
shines forth.
3
Our God comes and will not be silent;
a
fire devours before him,
and
around him a tempest rages.
4
He summons the heavens above,
and
the earth, that he may judge his people:
5
"Gather to me my
consecrated ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
6
And the heavens proclaim his righteousness,
for
God himself is judge.
Selah
7
"Hear, O my people,
and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8 I do not
rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no
need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every
animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know
every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
12 If I were
hungry I would not tell you, [2]
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat
the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Sacrifice
thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call
upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
16
But to the wicked, God says:
"What right have you to recite my laws
or take my covenant on your lips?
17 You hate
my instruction
and cast my words behind you.
18 When you
see a thief, you join with him;
you throw in your lot with adulterers.
19 You use
your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue to deceit.
20 You speak
continually against your brother
and slander your own mother's son.
21 These
things you have done and I kept silent;
you thought I was altogether A like you.
But I will rebuke you
and accuse you to your face.
22
"Consider this, you
who forget God,
or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:
23 He who
sacrifices thank offerings honors me,
and he prepares the way
PSALMS: 80
For
the director of music. To the tune of "The Lilies of the Covenant."
Of Asaph. A psalm.
1
Hear us, O Shepherd of Israel,
you
who lead Joseph like a flock;
you
who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth
2
before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh.
Awaken
your might;
come
and save us.
3
Restore us, O God;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved.
4
O LORD God Almighty,
how
long will your anger smolder
against
the prayers of your people?
5
You have fed them with the bread of tears;
you
have made them drink tears by the bowlful.
6
You have made us a source of contention to our
neighbors,
and
our enemies mock us.
7
Restore us, O God Almighty;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved.
8
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you
drove out the nations and planted it.
9
You cleared the ground for it,
and
it took root and filled the land.
10
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the
mighty cedars with its branches. [4]
11
It sent out its boughs to the Sea, A
its
shoots as far as the River. B
12
Why have you broken down its walls
so
that all who pass by pick its grapes?
13
Boars from the forest ravage it
and
the creatures of the field feed on it.
14
Return to us, O God Almighty!
Look
down from heaven and see!
Watch
over this vine,
15
the root your right hand has planted,
the
son C you have raised up for yourself.
16
Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire;
at
your rebuke your people perish.
17
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand,
the
son of man you have raised up for yourself.
18
Then we will not turn away from you;
revive
us, and we will call on your name.
19
Restore us, O LORD God Almighty;
make
your face shine upon us,
that
we may be saved. [5]
PSALMS: 110
Of
David. A psalm.
1
The LORD says to my Lord:
"Sit
at my right hand
until
I make your enemies
a
footstool for your feet."
2
The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;
you
will rule in the midst of your enemies.
3
Your troops will be willing
on
your day of battle.
Arrayed
in holy majesty,
from
the womb of the dawn
you
will receive the dew of your youth. A
4
The LORD has sworn
and
will not change his mind:
"You
are a priest forever,
in
the order of Melchizedek."
5
The Lord is at your right hand;
he
will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6
He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and
crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7
He will drink from a brook beside the way B;
therefore
he will lift up his head. [6]
PSALMS: 140
For
the director of music. A psalm of David.
1
Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men;
protect
me from men of violence,
2
who devise evil plans in their hearts
and
stir up war every day.
3
They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent's;
the
poison of vipers is on their lips.
Selah
4
Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked;
protect
me from men of violence
who
plan to trip my feet.
5
Proud men have hidden a snare for me;
they
have spread out the cords of their net
and
have set traps for me along my path.
Selah
6
O LORD, I say to you, "You are my God."
Hear,
O LORD, my cry for mercy.
7
O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer,
who
shields my head in the day of battle--
8
do not grant the wicked their desires, O LORD;
do
not let their plans succeed,
or
they will become proud.
Selah
9
Let the heads of those who surround me
be
covered with the trouble their lips have caused.
10Let
burning coals fall upon them;
may
they be thrown into the fire,
into
miry pits, never to rise. [7]
11
Let slanderers not be established in the land;
may
disaster hunt down men of violence.
12
I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor
and
upholds the cause of the needy.
13
Surely the righteous will praise your name
and
the upright will live before you. [8]
PROVERBS: 20
20
1 Wine is a mocker and
beer a brawler;
whoever
is led astray by them is not wise.
2
A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion;
he
who angers him forfeits his life.
3
It is to a man's honor to avoid strife,
but
every fool is quick to quarrel.
4
A sluggard does not plow in season;
so
at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.
5
The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters,
but
a man of understanding draws them out.
6
Many a man claims to have unfailing love,
but
a faithful man who can find?
7
The righteous man leads a blameless life;
blessed
are his children after him.
8
When a king sits on his throne to judge,
he
winnows out all evil with his eyes.
9
Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure;
I
am clean and without sin"?
10
Differing weights and differing measures--
the
LORD detests them both.
11
Even a child is known by his actions,
by
whether his conduct is pure and right. [9]
12
Ears that hear and eyes that see--
the
LORD has made them both.
13
Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;
stay
awake and you will have food to spare.
14
"It's no good, it's no good!" says the
buyer;
then
off he goes and boasts about his purchase.
15
Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but
lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.
16
Take the garment of one who puts up security for a
stranger;
hold
it in pledge if he does it for a wayward woman.
17
Food gained by fraud tastes sweet to a man,
but
he ends up with a mouth full of gravel.
18
Make plans by seeking advice;
if
you wage war, obtain guidance.
19
A gossip betrays a confidence;
so
avoid a man who talks too much.
20
If a man curses his father or mother,
his
lamp will be snuffed out in pitch darkness.
21
An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning
will
not be blessed at the end.
22
Do not say, "I'll pay you back for this
wrong!"
Wait
for the LORD, and he will deliver you.[10]
23
The LORD detests differing weights,
and
dishonest scales do not please him.
24
A man's steps are directed by the LORD.
How
then can anyone understand his own way?
25
It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly
and
only later to consider his vows.
26
A wise king winnows out the wicked;
he
drives the threshing wheel over them.
27
The lamp of the LORD searches the spirit of a man A;
it
searches out his inmost being.
28
Love and faithfulness keep a king safe;
through
love his throne is made secure.
29
The glory of young men is their strength,
gray
hair the splendor of the old.
30
Blows and wounds cleanse away evil,
and
beatings purge the inmost being. [11]
OLD TESTAMENT: JEREMIAH 12:1 - 14:10
12 1
You are always righteous, O LORD,
when I bring a case
before you.
Yet I would speak with
you about your justice:
Why does the way of the
wicked prosper?
Why do all the faithless
live at ease?
2 You
have planted them, and they have taken root;
they grow and bear
fruit.
You are always on their
lips
but far from their
hearts.
3 Yet
you know me, O LORD;
you see me and test my
thoughts about you.
Drag them off like sheep
to be butchered!
Set them apart for the
day of slaughter!
4 How
long will the land lie parched A
and the grass in every
field be withered?
Because those who live
in it are wicked,
the animals and birds
have perished.
Moreover, the people are
saying,
"He will not see
what happens to us."
5 "If
you have raced with men on foot
and they have worn you
out,
how can you compete with
horses?
If you stumble in safe
country, B
how will you manage in
the thickets by C the Jordan?
6 Your
brothers, your own family--
even they have betrayed
you; [12]
they have raised a loud
cry against you.
Do not trust them,
though they speak well
of you.
7 "I
will forsake my house,
abandon my inheritance;
I will give the one I
love
into the hands of her
enemies.
8 My
inheritance has become to me
like a lion in the
forest.
She roars at me;
therefore I hate her.
9 Has
not my inheritance become to me
like a speckled bird of
prey
that other birds of prey
surround and attack?
Go and gather all the
wild beasts;
bring them to devour.
10 Many
shepherds will ruin my vineyard
and trample down my
field;
they will turn my
pleasant field
into a desolate
wasteland.
11 It
will be made a wasteland,
parched and desolate
before me;
the whole land will be
laid waste
because there is no one
who cares.
12 Over
all the barren heights in the desert [13]
destroyers will swarm,
for the sword of the
LORD will devour
from one end of the land
to the other;
no one will be safe.
13 They
will sow wheat but reap thorns;
they will wear themselves
out but gain nothing.
So bear the shame of
your harvest
because of the LORD's
fierce anger."
14 This
is what the LORD says: "As for all my wicked
neighbors who seize the inheritance I gave my people Israel, I will uproot them
from their lands and I will uproot the house of Judah from among them. 15 But after I uproot them, I will again have compassion and
will bring each of them back to his own inheritance and his own country. 16 And if they learn well the ways of my people and swear by
my name, saying, `As surely as the LORD lives'--even as they once taught my
people to swear by Baal--then they will be established among my people. 17 But if any nation does not listen, I will completely uproot
and destroy it," declares the LORD.
13 1
This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do
not let it touch water." 2 So I bought a belt, as the
LORD directed, and put it around my waist.
3 Then
the word of the LORD came to me a second time: 4 "Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist,
and go now to Perath A and hide it
there in a crevice in the rocks." 5 So I went and hid it
at Perath, as the LORD told me.
6 Many
days later the LORD said to me, "Go now to Perath
and get the belt I told you to hide there." 7 So I went
to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it,
but now it was ruined and completely useless.
8 Then
the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "This
is what the LORD says: `In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the
great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These
wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of
their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like
this belt--completely useless! 11 For
as a belt is bound around a man's waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel
and the whole house of Judah to me,' declares the LORD, `to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But
they have not [14]listened.'
12 "Say to them: `This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
Every wineskin should be filled with wine.' And if they say to you, `Don't we
know that every wineskin should be filled with wine?' 13 then tell them, `This is what the LORD says: I am going to fill with
drunkenness all who live in this land, including the kings who sit on David's
throne, the priests, the prophets and all those living in Jerusalem. 14 I will smash them one against the other, fathers and sons alike,
declares the LORD. I will allow no pity or mercy or compassion to keep me from
destroying them.'"
15 Hear
and pay attention,
do not be arrogant,
for the LORD has spoken.
16 Give
glory to the LORD your God
before he brings the
darkness,
before your feet stumble
on the darkening hills.
You hope for light,
but he will turn it to
thick darkness
and change it to deep
gloom.
17 But
if you do not listen,
I will weep in secret
because of your pride;
my eyes will weep
bitterly,
overflowing with tears,
because the LORD's flock
will be taken captive.
18 Say
to the king and to the queen mother,
"Come down from
your thrones, [15]
for your glorious crowns
will fall from your
heads."
19 The
cities in the Negev will be shut up,
and there will be no one
to open them.
All Judah will be
carried into exile,
carried completely away.
20 Lift
up your eyes and see
those who are coming
from the north.
Where is the flock that
was entrusted to you,
the sheep of which you
boasted?
21 What
will you say when the LORD sets over you
those you cultivated as
your special allies?
Will not pain grip you
like that of a woman in
labor?
22 And
if you ask yourself,
"Why has this
happened to me?"--
it is because of your
many sins
that your skirts have
been torn off
and your body
mistreated.
23 Can
the Ethiopian B change his skin
or the leopard its
spots?
Neither can you do good
who are accustomed to
doing evil.
24 "I will scatter you like chaff [16]
driven by the
desert wind.
25 This is your
lot,
the portion I
have decreed for you,"
declares the LORD,
"because you have forgotten me
and trusted
in false gods.
26 I will pull
up your skirts over your face
that your
shame may be seen--
27 your
adulteries and lustful neighings,
your
shameless prostitution!
I have seen
your detestable acts
on the hills and
in the fields.
Woe to you, O
Jerusalem!
How long will
you be unclean?"
14 1
This is the word of the LORD to Jeremiah concerning
the drought:
2 "Judah mourns,
her cities
languish;
they wail for
the land,
and a cry
goes up from Jerusalem.
3 The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to
the cisterns
but find no
water.
They return
with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and
despairing, [17]
they cover
their heads.
4 The ground is cracked
because there
is no rain in the land;
the farmers
are dismayed
and cover
their heads.
5 Even the doe in the field
deserts her
newborn fawn
because there
is no grass.
6 Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights
and pant like
jackals;
their
eyesight fails
for lack of
pasture."
7 Although
our sins testify against us,
O LORD, do something for
the sake of your name.
For our backsliding is
great;
we have sinned against
you.
8 O
Hope of Israel,
its Savior in times of
distress,
why are you like a
stranger in the land,
like a traveler who
stays only a night?
9 Why
are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless
to save?
You are among us, O
LORD,
and we bear your name;
do not forsake us! [18]
10 This
is what the LORD says about this people:
"They greatly love to wander;
they do not
restrain their feet.
So the LORD
does not accept them;
he will now
remember their wickedness
and punish
them for their sins." [19]
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 THESSALONIANS 1:1 - 2:8
1 1
Paul, Silas A and Timothy,
To the church of the
Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace and peace to you. B
2 We
always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. 3 We
continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ.
4 For
we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because
our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the
Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your
sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of
severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy
Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in
Macedonia and Achaia. 8 The Lord's message rang out from you not
only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere.
Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, 9 for they themselves
report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from
idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son
from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the
coming wrath.
2 1
You know, brothers, that our visit to you was not a
failure. 2 We had previously suffered and been insulted in Philippi,
as you know, but with the help of our God we dared to tell you his gospel in
spite of strong opposition. 3 For the appeal we make does not spring
from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On
the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.
We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You
know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed--God is
our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from men, not from you
or anyone else.
As apostles of Christ we
could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you,
like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much
that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our
lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. [20]
[1]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[2]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[3]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[4]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[5]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[6]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[7]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[8]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[9]
Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Bible NIV.
Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc. All Rights Reserved
[10] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[11] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia Inc.
All Rights Reserved
[12] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[13] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[14] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[15] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[16] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[17] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[18] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[19] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
Inc. All Rights Reserved
[20] Excerpted from Compton's
Interactive Bible NIV. Copyright (c) 1994, 1995, 1996 SoftKey Multimedia
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